Reference
A plain-language meme culture glossary
Meme culture has its own vocabulary, but most of the words describe practical things people already understand: where a post came from, how it was changed, why a joke is recognizable, and what happens when it leaves its original audience. This glossary keeps the definitions plain so a new visitor can read a comment thread or humor feed without feeling locked out.
The words below are not official platform rules. They are working definitions used by many internet communities, including the broad 9GAG-era culture of image macros, reaction posts, screenshots, comment chains, and remixable templates.
Core format words
Template means a reusable structure. It can be a photo with blank labels, a two-panel layout, a caption pattern, or a phrase that invites repetition. The template is the frame; the meme is the specific use.
Reaction image is an image used to answer with a feeling. Instead of saying "I am shocked" or "that is awkward," the poster uses a face, scene, or image that performs the reaction instantly. Reaction images work because the audience recognizes the emotion faster than a paragraph could explain it.
Image macro usually means an image with large caption text added above, below, or over the picture. Classic advice animal formats are image macros, but the phrase can describe many captioned images.
Sharing and authorship words
OP means original poster. In a thread, OP is usually the person who started the post. It does not always mean the person created the image or idea; it may only mean they posted it in that specific place.
Repost means content shared again. A repost can be harmless, useful, lazy, or misleading depending on context. A credited repost can help a joke reach new readers. An uncredited repost can erase the creator and confuse the history of a format.
Source means where a post, image, quote, or claim came from. In meme culture, the source may be a creator, a platform page, a comic, a video, a public thread, or a previous repost. A source is useful when it helps readers check context.
Movement and context words
Remix means a changed version of a format. A remix can be as simple as new labels or as complex as combining two unrelated formats. Good remixes understand the original structure and add a new situation.
Lore means the background knowledge a community has built around a topic. A meme with heavy lore may be funny to insiders but confusing to new visitors. This is common in fandoms, games, long-running forums, and recurring platform jokes.
Context collapse happens when a joke leaves the audience that understood it and reaches people with different assumptions. A sarcastic post may be read as sincere. A local joke may look offensive. A private joke may become public evidence of something the original audience never meant.
Quality words
Low-effort usually describes a post that uses a familiar format without adding a strong idea. It does not always mean the post took no time; it means the audience feels the template is doing all the work.
Evergreen means a joke or explanation that stays useful beyond a single news cycle. Basic guides, clear definitions, and formats tied to common human situations tend to be more evergreen than jokes tied to one trending event.
Reader takeaway
Most meme terms describe relationships: between source and repost, template and remix, insider context and wider audience. Learning those relationships makes humor feeds easier to understand and safer to share.
Source notes
Source notes: these definitions are original editorial explanations of common public internet vocabulary. The article does not reproduce third-party posts or claim that any term belongs exclusively to 9GAG.